


through unsurvivable odds

by Ravens_World



Category: The Society (TV 2019)
Genre: Allie & Elle friendship, Allie & Kelly friendship, Angst, Drug Addiction, Elle is badass, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Gen, Hallie will be the slowest burn ever, Harry & Grizz friendship, Harry Tries His Best, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Post-Season/Series 02, So Bear With me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-25
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2020-09-26 17:12:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20393236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ravens_World/pseuds/Ravens_World
Summary: Elle tries to take down Campbell, Harry tries to help.Things don't go according to plan.





	1. I never meant to start a fire

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, all!  
this is my first TS fic, so I'm a bit nervous about posting it. Harry/ Allie will be really slowly considerng where they left off at the end of season 1, so be patient with me.
> 
> Title of the fic from Where You Are by Tommee Profitt. Chapter title is from I'll Be Good by Jaymes Young.
> 
> Read and Enjoy, and if you have the time, please comment.

“I used to play this one all the time.”

Elle’s fingers stilled over the piano keys, and she tried not to show that he’d startled her. She turned around and smiled, hoping it didn’t seem as nervous as she felt. She’d just snuck back into Campbell’s place a few minutes ago, and had gone straight to the piano, playing the first thing that came to her mind in hopes of making it seem like she’d never left. In her efforts to help Allie and Will out of their imprisonment, she’d been taking more and more risks lately. Because of that, she was even more jumpy now than she was before, and that was saying something considering she lived with Campbell.

“Yeah?” She inquired, trying to appear nonchalant.

“Yeah. It’s one of my favorites, actually. Mom insisted on having me learn the classics first and I hated it, of course, but Clair de Lune was one of my favorites.” He pressed a key, sat down beside her, then pressed another, and then he was playing a melody she vaguely recognized.

“What’s this one called?” She asked him quietly, her nerves easing a little bit.

“Golden gate,” he answered, his eyes not meeting hers. He made it seem effortless, and the way he played was mesmerizing. She was surprised that he was almost as good as her. 

A few seconds later, the music stopped abruptly, and he lowered his hands into his lap.

“I saw you, Elle,” he stated, voice barely an octave above a whisper. “I saw you snaking in and out of Allie’s house.”

Elle thought she knew what despair felt like- when they first got to this place, when no one accepted her or let her in, and every minute she spent with Campbell. But now she realized all of that was nothing compared to this moment. Before, there had always been a tiny chance that she’d be able to get away from Campbell, from this place. But, now? Elle knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt that this time, there was no way out of this.

Campbell was going to kill her.

* * *

“Hey, Allie?”

“Yeah?”

“You think Elle can pull this off?” Will asked her quietly. He didn’t sound genuinely curious, though; more like he was only asking to break the silence. She understood the urge. They’d been locked up in her house for two days now, completely in the dark, and it was slowly driving them both insane. “Allie?”

She sighed, leaning her head back against the radiator. “I don’t know, Will. I hope so, though. What about you?” She craned her head to the side and turned her body towards his as much as the handcuffs allowed, which wasn’t much.

“I don’t know either.”

She smiled knowingly. “Liar.”

He chuckled. Then the smile fell from his face, and a frown took its place. “If it were anybody but Campbell, I’d say her chances are good, but – the guy is pure evil, Allie. And he’s smart. If he finds out she’s helping us?”

“He’ll kill her,” she whispered, closing her eyes tightly. A tear escaped despite her best effort, but Allie made no move to wipe it away. Subtly, she turned away from Will, making sure he didn’t see her face crumble. “I don’t want her to die, Will,” her words were shaky, and Will must have sensed it, because he scooted closer to her, his shoulder barely brushing her back.

“Hey, maybe she’ll do it. Maybe, for once, something good will actually happen to us in this damn place.”

His words weren’t a comfort, but she pretended they were.

* * *

“Are you gonna tell him?” Her voice, to her surprise, was steady. She guessed the certainty of death made her a lot braver than she would’ve been any other time.

Harry said nothing, studying her face intently. “Answer me,” she hissed at him.

“No,” he answered simply. Then, barely giving her time to process what was happening, he turned back to the piano and resumed playing. “I used to play this one for my little sister whenever she was upset. I’d just started teaching her how to play the piano when all of this happened.”

Elle swallowed thickly. The change in subject confused her, and she wasn’t sure what to do, or say, next. Why was Harry doing this? Did he want something in return, was he just toying with her or was he genuinely trying to help? The latter seemed far too implausible, considering he was doing Campbell’s bidding. He may be a puppet whose strings were pulled by Campbell, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t just as guilty for all that had happened. Harry had set a lot of things in motion, things that had destroyed the system Allie had worked so hard to build. Elle took a deep, steadying breath. “What do you want from me, Harry?”

He ignored her question and closed his eyes, smiling sadly. When he opened them though, there was a storm inside. “You remind me of her, you know? My sister. She was-” he stopped abruptly, looking pained, and Elle guessed it was because he’d referred to his sister in the past tense. He visibly pulled himself together, then continued, “-_is_ braver than I ever was.”

She resisted the urge to ask him to elaborate. “What do you want?” She snapped.

“Nothing.”

Elle looked at him, really looked. Harry seemed tired. His eyes were bloodshot, his shoulders were hunched in, and his whole body seemed to be trembling, though it was subtle if you weren’t looking. Elle _was, _though. She was hyper aware of every move, every sound and expression he made, because her life and others’ counted on it. Looking at him now, she couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that this tired, lonely boy was the same one who was Campbell’s yes-man, the one who’d basically set this destruction in motion.

Harry shivered suddenly. He lifted his hands up to his arms and rubbed them. A small part of Elle was sympathetic. She ignored it. “I don’t believe you.”

“I’m not asking you to,” Harry informed her with a shrug. “Look, I don’t wanna know what you’re planning, okay? I’m just telling you that I know, and that I’ll cover for you when I can, if you ever need it.” 

He seemed sincere, and she believed him, even though she didn’t want to. “Why are you doing this?”

He got up without answering her.

“Harry,” she called quietly. He stopped, but didn’t turn around to face her.

“Just do what I didn’t do, Elle. Get her out.” She didn’t have to look at his face to know how much saying those words hurt him, she could hear it in his voice. He left the room without saying anything else.

Elle let out a breath she was holding for the entirety of their conversation. Having Harry on their side was good-at least, she hoped it would be. And, knowing that he had something to gain from helping them -whether it was atonement, getting rid of the responsibility on his shoulders now that he was mayor or something else- was even better.

Now she really had a shot, a real shot, at getting Allie and Will out, and then getting Allie back where she belonged.

* * *

The next day, Elle woke up with half a plan, though admittedly, it wasn’t a very good one. It depended entirely on Campbell letting her in on the “big meeting”, the one in which they would decide Allie and Will’s fate. It was happening in a few days, and she needed to move fast. Elle had been recording the meetings Campbell allowed her to get into, and so far, she had nothing much. He, Lexie and Luke seemed to be skirting the topic of what they'd done to Allie altogether, and the reason for that was either they _never_ discussed what happened or they just didn’t talk about it because she was there.

Elle wanted desperately to be able to record the meetings she wasn’t in, but so far she’d had no luck. She’d looked for voice recorders everywhere, but she couldn’t find any, and using her phone only worked if she was in the room. She felt stuck, and it was frustrating her to no end.

Her excitement over knowing Harry was on their side quickly faded when she realized that he didn’t plan on being an active participant. It’d been two days since their last conversation, and she’d barely seen him. Harry seemed to be quietly disappearing. He was always in his room, and he even locked his door sometimes. He wasn’t even attending council meetings. She could tell that Campbell was getting frustrated because of Harry’s behavior, though he tried not to show it.

Harry had chosen the wrong time to disappear, though.

From what she gathered from the talks she sometimes stumbled upon, it seemed that Campbell was subtly steering the council towards death as the punishment for Allie, and banishment for Will. Lexie seemed uncomfortable with it, was the only one actually outright apposing Campbell’s suggestion. Luke seemed like a ghost, eyes bloodshot and shoulders hunched, barely participating. Clark seemed to think nodding and agreeing with everyone was the best course of action. Jason was power hungry and thought violence was the key to solving issues. Elle knew Jason was definitely on Campbell’s side, and Clark was not far behind. That meant executing Allie and Will was a real possibility now, and Elle had to move fast. Problem was, she didn’t know _where_ to start.

Which was why she needed Harry to pull himself together and help her.

She’d been taking more and more risks, watching for people, even subtly asking some about their opinions. Not many were forthcoming, and those who were seemed to be on Lexie and Harry’s side. She’d been slipping notes to Allie and Will, printed, in case they were caught, giving them updates. So far, she’d given them five in as many days, even though there was barely any progress. It wasn’t very practical, but she needed them to know she wasn’t giving up on them.

“Hello,” Campbell came from behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. Elle tried not to flinch or pull away. He pressed a kiss to the bruise on her neck, and she felt bile rise in her throat as she remembered how he’d put it there. She closed her eyes, and told herself to breathe.

“Hi.” She removed herself from the circle of his arms, smiling at him. She’d gotten good at making a fake smile look genuine, since she’d been practicing.

God, she hated this.

“Have you, by any chance, seen Harry today?” He asked her casually, but Elle knew his question was anything but casual.

She swallowed. “No. he’s probably in his room, though.”

“Hmmm. Yeah, probably. Keep an eye on him for me, will ya?”

She nodded, not trusting herself to speak quite yet. He held her face in his hands, and used his tight grip to pull her closer to him. He pressed a bruising kiss to her lips, and she forced herself to kiss him back, to pretend to enjoy it.

She wanted to scream.

“Campbell!”

He pulled away from her, and she sighed in relief. He rolled his eyes. “What, Clark?!” He called out loudly.

“Could you come up here for a minute?”

Campbell sighed in frustration, and moved to leave the room. At the doorway, he stopped and turned around. “You know how you told me you wanted to be a part of making the decision about what happens to Allie and Will?”

He heart actually stopped for a second. “Yeah,” she answered, trying not to seem too eager.

“Meeting is on Monday.”

She smiled, and she tried to downplay how much the news meant to her.

She was in.

Now she just needed Harry to be on the same page as her, and she only had four days to pull it off.

* * *

“I miss Burgers.”

“Chocolate. God, I miss chocolate.”

They chuckled quietly, then they were quiet for a few seconds.

Allie broke the silence. “You think we’re getting out of here?”

“I don’t know, Allie-But, we’re not alone, right?”

She hung her head. “I’m so scared for her, Will. If something happens to her because of me, I’m gonna lose my mind.”

“Allie, it’s-“He trailed off, his attention on the piece of paper that had been slipped to them from the window. It was routine at this point. Every night, at midnight, Elle would slip them a note. Allie wasn’t ashamed to admit that at this point, these notes were her lifeline. There was barely any progress, but at least Elle was there, trying to get them out. Allie didn’t want her to put her life in danger for them, but she was also grateful for the risks she was taking for them.

Allie stretched her leg out, and dragged the note closer to her. She scooted it as close as possible to Will, which required no small amount of stretching and bending.

“It says this’ll be the last one,” he told her quietly.

Allie squeezed her eyes shut. “Why?”

“She has a plan, one she’s pretty sure will work. But she’ll need to lay low. Allie, she says she has someone who might help her!” He told her excitedly.

Allie smiled widely, leaning back into him. It was the closest she could get to giving him a hug. He rested his forehead on her shoulder, and they both relished in the hope they felt. She felt more alive than she had in a long time.

Hope really was a powerful thing.

* * *

The sound of the piano greeted Elle from the minute she entered through the back door. She quickly took off her jacket and hat. Once she got to the living room, she saw that it was Harry playing. It was the same one he’d played the other night, the one he said his sister had loved. She walked quietly towards him, and waited until he noticed her, then she motioned towards the bench where he sat. When he nodded his head wordlessly, she took it as an invitation and sat beside him.

“I need you to help me, Harry,” she told him, voice barely audible over the soft melody.

“I am helping you.”

She frowned in confusion. “What? I’ve barely even seen you since that night. How are you helping me?”

He stopped playing to fix her with a deadpan look, his eyebrows raised. He was waiting for her to figure out something, but Elle couldn’t think of one instance where he’d actively tried to do anything that might count as helping.

He resumed playing, as if giving her time to think, which only managed to frustrate her more. When he looked at her again, he must’ve seen the frustration all over her face, because he smirked. Without looking at her, he answered her question. “I’ve been locking my door for hours at a time, I haven’t been showing up to meetings, but I’ll show up for the one on Monday. I’m playing the piano now, just in case he wakes up and doesn’t find you in bed.”

She was stunned into silence. “You-“ she couldn’t manage to think of a single thing to say to that.

“Look, I told you I’d cover for you, and I’m keeping my word. But I can’t do any more than that.”

She huffed in frustration. “Why not?” She whispered harshly.

“Look at me, Elle!” He exclaimed. She flinched away, curling in on herself. Once she managed to pull herself together, which only took her about five seconds, she chanced a look at him. His eyes were wide, full of pain. He looked even more tired than he did the last time she saw him, which she hadn’t thought was possible. His eyes were bloodshot, and when he extended a cautious hand towards her, she saw there was a fine tremor running through it. “I’m sorry, Elle. I shouldn’t have done that.”

She smiled at him, putting on a brave face. “It’s fine.”

“It’s not. And that’s exactly why I don’t want to be any more involved with your plan, Elle. I’m- I’m going through withdrawal.” He swallowed, and hung his head in shame. “I did all of this for drugs, did you know that?”

“Harry-“

“I just- I’m trying to make things right. I know it’s too late, but I’m trying, okay?”

She shook her head, taking a hold of the hand closest to her. She squeezed his hand, and he returned it, though he was gentler. “It’s not too late, Harry. You can do it, and you can help me get them out.”

He was already shaking his head, before she even got to finish. He pulled his hand from hers. “I can’t trust myself with it, Elle, and you shouldn’t either.”

“I need your help,” she pleaded with him, one last time.

“No, you don’t. No one does, believe me.”

He rapped his knuckles twice on top of the piano, and then quietly left the room.

Elle closed her eyes, counted to ten. She breathed.

She could do this, and she had no other choice but to do it on her own.

* * *

_Monday_

“Ah, Harry finally decided to grace us with his presence!” Campbell said with a wide, fake smile. Elle wondered how she fell for it. Had she been so lonely, so desperate for company, that she couldn’t see the how fake his smiles were? 

“In today’s meeting we’re supposed to decide what we’ll do with Allie and Will, but something a bit more important camp up,” Campbell informed them, and a prickle of fear settled in the pit of Elle’s stomach. This did not seem good.

“Hey, Shoe,” he called out. Shoe pocked his head in, and at Campbell’s nod, he came into the room and put a clear plastic bag on the table. Elle tried to get a good look at it, and to her horror, found that inside it was a small square paper that was crumpled, and even torn in some places. She recognized it as the last note she’d slipped to Allie.

Elle’s whole body started trembling in fear, and she clasped her hands under the table to hide it as much as possible.

“Shoe here found this little note on Allie. She tried to eat it, you know. Man, I wish I’d seen that.” His voice didn’t show the humor his words might imply, and neither did his smile. “From what I could piece together,” he told them, “I’m pretty sure they came from someone in this room. I’m also pretty sure it’s neither Jason nor Clarke. That leaves me with the four of you,” he finished his little speech with a look at each of them in turn. When his eyes met hers, she knew there was no way out of this one for her. This time, when he found out what she did, which he definitely will, Campbell will kill her. Tears sprung to her eyes, and just as they were about to spill out, Harry spoke.

“It was me,” Harry told him, his eyes locked with Campbell’s. He looked resigned now, but not afraid. 

Campbell smirked. “Oh, really?”

Harry said nothing, which only served to anger Campbell further. Elle felt relief hit her like a bucket of cold water, and then the guilt followed almost immediately.

“Alright, what was written in the note, Harry?”

To her surprise, he didn’t miss a beat. “Updates on how close I was to getting them out, not much else, really.”

Campbell wasn’t convinced. “Be more specific,” he demanded, his face inches from Harry’s.

Harry laughed, and it was an ugly, empty sound that sent shivers down her spine. “Dude, you really think I remember what I wrote on there? It was four days ago!” He exclaimed, leaning back into his chair before continuing, “It’s all bullshit, anyway.”

“I don’t believe you.”

Harry shrugged. “If you think about it, Campbell, it’s actually better for me if you don’t.”

Harry was pissing Campbell off, and from the glint in his eyes, it was on purpose. If Elle were a better person, she’d have admitted by now that she was the one who sent the note, that she was the one planning his fall, but fear was a powerful thing, and so she said nothing.

“All of you, out!” Campbell shouted, not taking his eyes off Harry. “Shoe, Jason, Clark, keep an eye on the others for me, will ya?”

Elle caught Harry’s eyes just as she was dragged out of her chair. He smiled softly at her, giving her a subtle nod. She nodded back, and a few seconds later, they were out of the room; leaving Harry alone with Campbell. There was one thing on her mind now, one thought that played in a constant loop:

Whatever happened to Harry now would be on her.

…………….

“What were you thinking, huh?” Campbell demanded. “You had it all, man. You’re mayor. You have your house all to yourself again. I’m giving you your precious fucking pills. Why ruin a good thing, Harry?”

“Habit, I guess.”

Harry knew that antagonizing Campbell would be really bad for him; would probably result in either death or, at the very least, a lot of maiming. He didn’t really care. He continued to do it, because he could see Campbell wasn’t all that convinced Harry was Allie’s man on the inside, and he needed him to be angry enough that it wouldn’t matter. Maybe he’ll buy Elle enough time to do whatever the hell it is she was going to do to save Allie.

“Why did you do it?!” Campbell screamed, grabbing two fistfuls of Harry’s shirt and hauling him up. He slammed him up against the wall, and Harry barely managed to keep his head from slamming against it.

The thing about going through withdrawal is this; you spend so much energy on keeping your head up, keeping the cravings at bay, that you find little energy for anything else. Normally, if Harry was firing on all cylinders, he would’ve had a tighter hold on his actions and his words. But he was bone-tired, and in pain, so he couldn’t stop the words from flowing out of him, didn’t even try.

“Because all I wanted was the goddamn _pills_, Campbell,” he spat at him. “I didn’t want _this_. I didn’t want any of this. I didn’t want to be stuck here in a goddamn parallel universe with all of you. I didn’t want to share my house with nineteen people. I didn’t want Cassandra to die. I didn’t want to turn on Allie. I didn’t want to lose the one person in this place who gave a damn about me. I just wanted the fucking pills, that’s it.”

"Huh,” Campbell said, stepping back and letting go of Harry, but not once taking his eyes off him. He clapped Harry on the shoulder. “Alright,” he shrugged. Harry frowned in confusion, then saw Campbell’s hand disappear behind his back, and when he brought it around, he had a gun pointed at Harry’s chest. “Last chance, Harry. Did. You. Do It?”

Ever since his father died in a car crash, with a sixteen year old Harry in the car with him, death became a distant thought that was always there in the back of Harry’s mind. Facing death now, yet again, Harry was calm in a way that scared him, and he didn’t want to contemplate the reason behind it. The gun shook in Campbell’s hand, though it was subtle-barely even there. Harry knew, despite what little reluctance that little detail showed, Campbell was going to shoot him. He was going to die here. It seemed fitting for him to die now, alone. It was what he deserved.

Harry closed his eyes, and tried not to think about the things he never got to do (_apologize to Kelly and Allie, go to college, make his parents proud, kick his addiction_) and the things he wouldn’t ever be able to do again (_go home, see his sister, teach her how to play the piano, see his mom, who he never thought he’d ever miss_). He opened his eyes, and noticed that the gun was steady now.

_I don’t want to die._

“Yeah, Campbell, I did.”


	2. My War Is Over

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I am so sorry for the delay. I was just really stuck on this chapter, because I wanted it to be better, but I couldn't figure out what to change..then I was just stuck (I'm a mess, seriously!) 
> 
> without further ado, here's chapter two (Yes, I know that rhymed)

When Grizz got the call from Luke, Kelly, Sam and Becca were with him. She’d gotten to know them pretty well after Allie was arrested and things went to hell in their town. At first, the meetings had been a desperate attempt at trying to do something about the mess Campbell, Harry and Lexie had made but after a couple of days, when they realized there was very little they could do alone, their meetings became more about finding comfort in each other than anything else.

Grizz frowned, then cleared his throat before answering. “What do you want, Luke?”

Luke calling him was a surprise, considering they were on two different sides now, and Kelly could see that Grizz was struggling with it. He was trying to make it seem like he was angry, when anybody who looked at him for five seconds could tell that he was more hurt and confused by what Lucas had done than anything else.

“What?” He whispered, his eyes going to Sam, who frowned, cocking his head to the side. Grizz put the call on speaker, and Kelly noticed his hand was shaking. She didn’t mention it.

“-your help, man.” Luke was saying, and he sounded _terrified_. “Campbell- he just- _he just shot him_, Grizz. I wanted to help, but I couldn’t-“ Luke’s breath hitched, and everyone in the room seemed to be holding their breath.

“Luke? Who did Campbell sho-“

Before Grizz could finish his question, there was a rustle of fabric, a shout, then the call went dead. Kelly stared in horror at the phone in Grizz’s hand. She looked up from the phone to Grizz, and saw that he seemed to be frozen. Becca, who looked like she was barely holding it together, was signing something to Sam, who seemed to be seconds away from losing his lunch.

Grizz suddenly moved off the couch, hurriedly heading to the door. “We have to go, now. Kelly, if someone’s hurt, you have to be there.”

Kelly nodded and took out her phone, calling Gordie to get the clinic ready. She and Gordie weren’t completely clueless when it came to knowing how to deal with gunshot wounds, since trauma was the first branch of medicine they’d decided to study up on. But Kelly was still terrified. Reading about something and actually being able to pull it off were two completely different things.

When Grizz began to run, Kelly and Sam did their best to follow, but they were lagging behind. They followed as best as they could. Grizz entered Campbell’s house, and they followed a few seconds behind him.

She froze at the sight she was met with.

Campbell was lying on the floor, Luke restraining him. Elle was sobbing in a corner, and Lexie was standing beside her. They were all staring at the two people in the center of the room.

Harry was lying on his back, Grizz kneeling beside him in a pool of blood. _Harry’s blood._

_Harry was bleeding._

“Harry!” Kelly cried out, crossing the space between them. For a few seconds, the only sounds in the room were Elle’s sobs and Harry’s labored breathing. Kelly took off her sweater, and when she saw that Grizz already had his hoodie pressed to the hole in Harry’s abdomen, she threw it down carelessly. Kelly fell down to her knees on Harry’s other side, and did her best to keep her fear at bay.

“Grizz, press as hard as you can and don’t let up, okay? It’ll hurt, but you have to keep pressure on it.” He nodded, took a deep breath; bracing himself, and then pressed down on the wound more firmly. Kelly winced when Harry’s breath hitched and he tried to squirm away from them.

“Stop,” Harry chocked out, as a tear made its way down his cheek.

“We can’t, Harry, okay? We have to stop you from losing too much blood, okay?”

Harry shook his head, but didn’t say anything. Kelly locked eyes with Grizz, and she could see the fear she felt reflected in his eyes. “We need to take him to the clinic, I- God, he might not-“ she broke off, letting out a sob.

“Kelly,” Grizz said firmly, “you can do this. We’ll take his car, okay? Get him to the clinic. Give Gordie the heads up. Tell him what you can about what happened, okay?” When she nodded, he continued, “Can you go find Harry’s car keys?”

She nodded and hurriedly got up off the floor. As she ran up the stairs, she called Gordie, trying her best to give him all the information he might need. She swallowed down the panic, and continued looking for the keys, aware that every second that passed meant Harry was closer to dying.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

When Kelly left to look for Harry's keys, Grizz turned his attention back to the boy lying on the floor, sparing only a glance at Sam. He was frozen in place, staring at his restrained brother with both horror and fear. Grizz didn't know if that fear was _of_ Campbell or _for_ him, and he didn’t have the time to contemplate it. He wanted to go to him, to comfort him, but he couldn't. He needed to focus on keeping Harry alive.

He was surprised when Harry opened his eyes, having thought he'd passed out from the pain. His eyes were filled with tears, and, several times, he tried to open his mouth to speak, only to close it and swallow. Grizz knew Harry was an asshole, and yet seeing him like this broke Grizz’s heart.

"Stop, Grizz. Please," he whispered quietly, his voice only shook a little. Grizz frowned when he saw the resigned look in the boy’s eyes. It seemed that Harry was asking him to stop not because it hurt,but because he wanted to give up, and that rattled Grizz. Harry patted his hand, though the movement was a little clumsy. "It's okay. It’s better if I just die."

"No, Harry, don't say that." Grizz tried to keep his tone soothing and quiet, but he wasn't sure how successful he'd been. This wasn’t what he’d expected from Harry, it was actually quite the opposite.

"Grizz, please," Harry begged, a tear trailing down his cheek. "I can't do this anymore; I don't want to be here anymore, _please_." Grizz gently wiped the other boy's tears away with one hand, and though he didn't exactly expect Harry to push him away, he didn't expect him to lean into his touch either.

“You can’t give up, okay? Whatever’s going on, we’ll help you. _I’ll_ help you,” Grizz promised him, his words sure and quiet, though his voice shook a little. He motioned for Sam to come closer, and when he did, he told him to take his place. Sam did as he was told, though Grizz could tell he wasn’t pressing as hard as he could; probably afraid of hurting Harry even more. Grizz put his hand over both of Sam’s and pressed down. He ignored the frankly ridiculous uptick in his heart. Their world was a mess, a guy might die right in front of him, and here Grizz was, getting worked up over an innocent touch of the hands.

Once he was sure Sam was doing okay, Grizz moved so he was sitting by Harry’s head. He took one of Harry’s hands in his, and noticed it was cold, way too cold. “Listen, you’ve got so much to live for, man. Your family back in our world, your- ”Grizz faltered here, and realized that he didn’t really know anything about Harry’s life, just what everyone else knew. His dad died about a year ago, and he lived with his mom and little sister. That was it. He knew almost nothing about Harry himself. There was, of course, rumors about the Binghams, but Grizz had never paid attention to gossip. “Just hang on, man.”

Kelly came flying down the stairs, thankfully interrupting him. She somehow managed to get them out of the house and into the car in under five minutes. He carried Harry to the car, and spent the entire car ride trying to get him to stay awake. He managed it, but only barely.

When they got to the clinic, Gordie told Grizz to put him on the nearest bed, and to keep pressure on the wound, and then disappeared somewhere. Kelly immediately started gathering supplies. She was a flurry of movement, and just looking at her made him dizzy. A movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention, and he turned fully to see Sam quietly watching him. Grizz smiled softly at him, hoping to ease some of the pain he saw on the other boy’s face. Sam smiled back, though it was sad, and turned to leave. Grizz knew he wouldn’t go far, so he told himself to just wait for the right time to talk to him.

When he managed to tear his eyes away from the doors Sam disappeared out of to look down at Harry, he found that Harry was already looking at him. “What?”

“What was that about?” Harry croaked. Grizz raised an eyebrow at him, stunned that he noticed anything in his state. Fear reared its ugly head at the thought of Harry knowing about him and Sam.

“Nothing.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “Dude, I’m dying, not blind. Besides, it’s not like there’s anyone for me to tell,” he whispered with a pained smile.

Grizz shook his head. “Stop saying that, you’re not gonna die.” He hesitated, then thought; _screw it, what was the worst that could happen? _ “It’s not nothing. It’s something, but I- it’s just complicated.”

Harry nodded, and didn’t say anything. His eyes started to droop, and Grizz increased the pressure a little bit. He hated doing it, but it had an immediate effect. Harry’s eyes shot open and he glared at Grizz, who ignored him. “Tell me about your sister,” Grizz said suddenly.

Harry frowned. “Why?” Grizz just shrugged. He didn’t think telling him it was to keep him awake would help. “Hanna’s seven. She’s really smart, a lot smarter than me-“ he closed his eyes in pain, and Grizz couldn’t tell whether it was because of the pressure he had on his wound or because of talking about his sister. “She loved it when I played the piano for her, bugged me about it ‘till I started teaching her.” Grizz almost regretted asking about her, because Harry looked devastated. “God, I miss her,” he whispered miserably.

“I’m sure she misses you too. So hang in there, Harry; if not for you, then for _her_.” Harry smiled at his words, but the smile seemed patronizing, like he was humoring him. Grizz frowned, though he refrained from commenting about it.

Kelly, her arms occupied by IV bags, syringes and a couple of medications, rushed in. Gordie came in after her, and he was holding a metal tray laden with scalpels and a few other instruments Grizz didn’t know the names of. Kelly put in an IV, talking Harry through it, and Gordie told Grizz to remove his hands from the wound so he could inspect it. Grizz did as he was told, and made to leave. Harry calling his name quietly stopped him in his tracks.

“Yeah?”

“Thank you,” he told him sincerely.

“You’re welcome. And Harry?” When the other boy’s eyes found his, Grizz smiled. “Don’t die.”

Harry just grinned and tried to wave him off, but only managed to flopp his arm a little.

* * *

When Elle saw Grizz come out of the clinic, she all but ran to him. “Is he alive?” She demanded.

“Yeah, for now.” He winced, closing his eyes. He really needed to stop being so blunt about these things, because one of these days he was going to get punched because of it. It was safe to say it wouldn’t be today, though, because Elle looked like she was about to keel over any minute.

Elle ran a hand through her hair, and turned away from him. Grizz still saw her face crumble. “I didn’t know you’re close to Harry,” he told her, no judgment in his words, just curiosity.

She shook her head, and though she was facing him now, her eyes wouldn’t meet his. “I’m not,” she said with a slightly hysterical laugh. “He- he saved me, Grizz.”

“How? What happened before we got there, Elle?”

At his question, her demeanor changed. She straightened up and wiped away her tears, and then her eyes met his in what was probably the first time during their conversation. “You’ll find out in a few hours. Everyone will.”

Before he could ask her to elaborate, she turned away and left.

Grizz didn’t even bother thinking about what it was she was talking about, because he was honestly too tired to care, and he had someone important to check on.

* * *

When Luke, Helena and Lexie barged in and told them they were free to go, Allie was convinced she was dreaming. She merely watched in detached silence as they uncuffed them. Once she was free, she instinctively brought her hands to the front and rubbed her wrists, staring at the trio in disbelief and a healthy amount of suspicion.

“Where’s Elle? Is she okay?” The thought of something happening to Elle because she was trying to help them was torture to Allie, and she needed to know the girl was alive. “Answer me!”

“She’s fine!” Helena exclaimed.

She let out a relieved breath, and then refocused her attention on their other issue. “What’s going on? Why are we being released?” She demanded, not standing up from her sitting position. Will, on the other hand, was pacing the room, probably trying to get back some feeling in his legs. She wanted to do the same, but she felt it was more important to find out why they were being released instead of sentenced to banishment or a horrible death.

“Allie, everything is a mess. We need to make things right again, and we need your help with that. I’m sorry I doubted you; I shouldn’t have,” Helena told her sincerely, her voice shaking. She extended a hand, and Allie took it. Lucas and Lexie weren’t looking at her, and after what they pulled, she didn’t really want any sort of interaction with them.

Helen pulled her up and into a tight hug. Allie hugged back, though her grip was significantly looser than the other girl’s. “I’m really sorry, Allie.”

When Helena released her, Allie stepped away from her and hugged herself. “What’s happening?”

* * *

When Allie walked into the church, flanked by Will and Helen and followed by Lucas and Lexie, she felt both powerful and afraid. She took a deep breath and walked on with her head held high, ignoring the whispers and the shouts and the stares. When she got to the front, she was at a loss for words. “_I’m back, bitches_” might not be the most appropriate thing to say, but it was the one thing that came to mind. Before she had to do or say anything, Elle came up to stand with them, and she gestured for the seats behind her. Allie smiled at her, relieved when she saw for herself that Elle was okay. She received a weak smile in return. Allie, Helena and Will sat down, while Lucas and Lexie opted for empty seats in the second and fifth pew.

Elle took a deep breath. “I’m going to explain everything, guys. Just please, hear me out.”

_“Why is she out?”_

_“What the hell is going on?”_

_“Why are you doing the talking?”_

No one was listening, and they were all just shouting over each other.

“Shut up!” Elle screamed. Allie couldn’t see her face, but she suspected her expression was murderous since everyone did quiet down. She scanned the room and absently wondered why Harry and Campbell weren’t there. “There’s a lot you don’t know. God, I don’t even know where to start.” She ran a hand through her hair.

“I-“ She sounded nervous, and shaky. Allie worried she wouldn’t be able to tell them what happened, or even worse, _they wouldn’t let her_. But then Elle squared her shoulders, and Allie knew she would be okay. “- the whole time I was with Campbell, he was physically abusive towards me.” There were a few murmurs, a few scattered gasps. Elle paid them no mind. “Helena noticed first, and she tried to help, but it didn’t work, so I tried to take matters into my own hands.On thanksgiving, when we were supposed to be alone, I made a pumpkin pie for him and I poisoned it. I thought he would be the only one to eat it, I swear. I’d begged him to go, but he refused, so it was a safe bet. I _thought_ it was a safe bet. But then he changed his mind, and he forced me to go. He took the pie I made, too.” She let out a shuddering breath, and continued. “I tried to throw it out, I swear, but I couldn’t. When I saw it was too late, I tried to eat as much as possible of it. But you guys still got hurt, and I am so sorry for that,” she let out a sob, hanging her head.

For about five seconds, there was chaos. A loud whistle cut through the noise. Grizz stood up, held his hands up and to her relief, they listened to his silent command.

Elle continued, though she was shaking like a leaf. “After, I confessed to Allie, and I begged her to, but she wouldn’t. She told me it wasn’t my fault. But the thing was, I needed to get away from him, at any cost. So, eventually I convinced her to arrest me. Allie protected me, and even when her own life was at stake, she didn’t sell me out.”

Elle looked back at Allie, and the gratitude in her expression nearly knocked the breath out of her. Returning her attention to the room, Elle began to speak again. “Campbell got Harry hooked on drugs, way before the elections, and he was the one who signed him up for them. Harry told me that he tried to refuse, but Campbell threatened to stop giving him the drugs, so he gave in.”

Allie gasped, her hand coming up to cover her mouth. How had she missed this? She’d known Harry wasn’t okay, but she hadn’t known to what extent. Their interaction in the café made so much more sense now. She’d felt, deep down, that something was wrong with him. His hesitation, his wistful smile when she’d talked about the other world. The signs had all been there, but she’d been buried under so many responsibilities that she’d missed them

Allie returned her attention back on Elle, and tried to ignore the guilt. “Lexie ruined his plans at first, but he managed to reel her in too. And they framed Allie. Lucas lied when he said she manipulated the results. ”

At this, all eyes in the room turned to Lucas, who merely nodded, shame and guilt rolling off him in waves.

“How do we know you’re not lying?” Anna, a quiet, mousy girl Allie barely knew, said. Allie could tell she was scared, that everyone was. And the worst thing is that that fear will probably lead to mistrust, which will lead to chaos. But she couldn’t really blame any of them for being scared, not when Allie herself was terrified. Campbell, her own cousin, had been planning this for months. She wondered if Dewey had been right all along, and that Campbell had been involved in Cassandra’s death, and shuddered at the thought.

“Harry knew I was planning to get Allie and Will out, and he helped me, covered for me as best as he could,” her voice cracked, and she curled in on herself. “Campbell shot Harry today and I have proof.”

The room erupted, and this time, no one tried to stop the chatter. Allie felt numb. She couldn’t focus on anything, couldn’t hear anything except her own blood roaring in her ears. Her chest tightened, and she willed herself to breath, but she couldn’t. Harry was shot. And considering there were no doctors here, he was most likely dead. She and Harry were complicated, though they hadn’t always been. Before they were trapped here, he’d always been Cassandra’s rival, the guy her sister, and by extension Allie herself, disliked. After, though- that was when it got complicated. He wasn’t a friend, even though she’d slept with him, and they’d been friendly for a while. He could’ve been, though; they’d been slowly working toward it, for a short time. But then, Cassandra had died, and she’d blamed him for it and for everything that had come after. His apology hadn’t meant much but, try as she might, she couldn’t consider him an enemy. He was an asshole a lot of the time, but Allie had always had a feeling that he was good, or at least had the potential to be good. Will would call her naïve, but Allie knew she was a good judge of character.

_Harry was shot_. A small, dark part of her thought it was justice that he’d died the same way Cassandra had, but another part of her grieved for him in a small way. According to Elle, he’d been trying to right some of his wrongs, and he’d died doing it. Harry had died because he was trying to get her out.

“Please come closer, all of you,” Elle called out to everyone. “I recorded what happened in today’s meeting, because I thought it would help Allie’s case, but-“she stopped abruptly, running a hand through her hair. “The recording is on my phone, so it may not be clear if you’re too far.” Everyone obeyed, moving as if they were on autopilot. Allie was almost certain that none of them cared about Harry, and that their shock was mostly due to the fact that they were played, not any real concern for him. It made her angry, at herself and at them.

Elle fiddled with her phone, and seconds later, Campbell’s voice rang out. It wasn’t loud, but when no one made a sound, they all managed to hear it. Not everyone, she reminded herself, seeking out Sam. He was standing stiffly beside Grizz, and he looked like hell. She waved him closer, and asked him if he wanted to know what was being said. His jaw locked and he nodded firmly, and she nodded back.

_“-we’ll do with Allie and Will, but something a bit more important came up.” _Even though she knew what was coming, and that this had already happened, his words filled her with dread.

_“Hey, Shoe.” _ There was rustling, and a few seconds of silence. Then, “_Shoe here found this little note on Allie. She tried to eat it, you know. Man, I wish I’d seen that.”_ His voice sent a shiver down her spine, and she wondered how Elle herself had felt when she was within his reach. She must’ve been terrified. Allie herself had been terrified for her when they’d found the note. Trying to eat it hadn’t been the smartest idea, but she’d panicked. She knew she shouldn’t have kept it, but it had given her hope, as stupid as that was.

_“From what I could piece together, I’m pretty sure they came from someone in this room. I’m also pretty sure it’s neither Jason nor Clarke. That leaves me with the four of you,” _meaning Harry, Lexie, Luke or Elle.

_“It was me.” _Harry’s voice was all wrong. He sounded small and defeated.

_ “Oh, really?” _Then_,_ “_Alright, what was written in the note, Harry?”_

To her surprise, Harry didn’t seem to hesitate. Hell, Allie herself almost believed him. _“Updates on how close I was to getting them out, not much else, really.”_

“_Be more specific_,” Campbell demanded.

Harry laughed, and it sounded so empty that Allie almost recoiled away. “_Dude, you really think I remember what I wrote on there? It was four days ago!_ _It’s all bullshit, anyway.”_

_“I don’t believe you.”_

“_If you think about it, Campbell, it’s actually better for me if you don’t.” _ Allie wanted to strangle the idiot. Harry was trying to rile Campbell up, and if the fact that he’d shot him was any indication, he’d succeeded.

“_All of you, out! Shoe, Jason, Clark, keep an eye on the others for me, will ya?”_

A few seconds of rustling followed his command, and Allie took the time to check people’s reactions. Most of them looked as sick as she felt, while some just looked bored. It angered her, that they would be so callous when they were probably hearing Harry’s last words.

_ “What were you thinking, huh? You had it all, man. You’re mayor. You have your house all to yourself again. I’m giving you your precious fucking pills. Why ruin a good thing, Harry?”_

_“Habit, I guess.” _

_“Why did you do it?!”_ Campbell’s scream was followed by a thud, and Allie winced.

_“Because all I wanted was the goddamn pills, Campbell. I didn’t want _this._ I didn’t want any of this. I didn’t want to be stuck here in a goddamn parallel universe with all of you. I didn’t want to share my house with nineteen people. I didn’t want Cassandra to die. I didn’t want to turn on Allie. I didn’t want to lose the one person in this place who gave a damn about me. I just wanted the fucking pills, that’s all.” _He sounded like he was in so much pain, and so defeated, that Allie hurt for him.

_"Huh. Alright.” _

_ “Last chance, Harry. Did. You. Do It?” _There was a faint click, and Allie realized with a jolt that it was the safety of a gun.

_“Yeah, Campbell, I did.”_

Then a shot rang out, and she screamed, along with almost everyone in the room. When she looked at people’s faces, she noted with a grim satisfaction that none of them looked bored anymore. Some were looking a little pale, and a few were even crying.

Elle stopped the recording. “I don’t think anybody needs to hear the rest,” she informed them quietly, and Allie noticed that her hands were shaking. It made her wonder what else was on the recording. “Is that proof enough for you all?” She asked, turning her head left and right, and there was a smattering of nods and quiet yes’s.

“Harry is in the clinic, Kelly and Gordie are- they’re trying, but-” Grizz informed them hesitantly, and Allie wasn’t surprised to see that he seemed genuinely sorry to be saying it. That was one of the things she loved about him; that he saw every single one of them as human beings, and he cared so much. “I was with him, before they started working on him. It- it didn’t look good.”

Allie couldn’t take it anymore and she had the urge to get out of there, so she did. She walked out, almost in a daze. “Allie? Allie, where are you going?” Will called after her. She ignored him, and kept walking. He caught up to her outside the church, and to her irritation; he managed to keep up with her pace easily. “Allie, what’s going on?”

She laughed mockingly. “Nothing’s going on, Will! Everything is just peachy,” she snapped, not bothering to look at him.

“We got out; you’re probably gonna be mayor again. I know things aren’t exactly perfect, what with-“

She stopped abruptly. “_Things aren’t exactly perfect_?” She repeated slowly, incredulous. “Harry is probably dead, Will! I trust Kelly and Gordie, but they’re not doctors. They don’t know what they’re doing.” Her words registered, but the expression on his face, not exactly cold, but indifferent, didn’t change. Allie shook her head and smiled sardonically. In times like this, she really couldn’t recognize Will. This wasn’t the boy she’d fallen in love with; that boy wouldn’t react to the idea of someone dying so callously (_that wouldn’t have pressured her into making that decision about Dewey, either_). She stopped that though in its tracks, knowing that there was no one to blame but herself for that disaster. She took a deep breath. “I want to go home, Will.”

He nodded. “Alright, let’s go.”

She stopped him with a hand on his chest. “Alone.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You’re seriously doing this?”

“Yeah, Will, I am.”

She walked away, not once looking back at him.

…

When she was halfway home, she slowed to a stop and sat on the sidewalk. Allie put her head in her hands and tried to breathe evenly. It took her a few seconds, but she managed it. She sniffed, and realized with a jolt that she was crying. She wiped away a few tears and stared at her damp hands. She was crying for Harry Bingham. She was crying for _Harry fucking Bingham_; the guy who basically overthrew her, the guy whose awful words had gotten her sister killed. But that wasn’t all that he was, was he? Maybe that was why she was so rattled by the idea of losing him. There had been so many moments with him that felt like they meant _something_, moments that were genuine, that could have meant more. She closed her eyes and, against her will, a tidal wave of memories washed over her.

(“_You could be my partner if you want”_),

(“Y_ou were peculiar, and intense”),_

_(“I just didn’t know you”_),

(“_You wanna dance?_”),

(“_I’m so sorry for what I said, I never meant for any of this-any of that to- to turn into_-“),

(“_Anything is possible_”),

(“_Let me know if you work it out, about that other world? It seems like a nice place_”),

She laughed hysterically. God, what a mess this was. She was replaying every interaction they had, every word, every touch, every smile that felt like it was just for her, and she was hit with a longing that didn’t make any sense to her. The urge to see him was too strong for her to ignore, and she was too tired to even try. She dragged herself off the ground, and made her way to the clinic, hoping against all odds that he would still be there, alive, when she got to him.

* * *

The clinic was quiet when she got in, and just as she was about to enter the area where she knew the beds were, Kelly burst out of the doors. Allie froze about five feet away from her, and just took her in. The scrubs she wore were more red than blue, and her whole body was shaking, her chest heaving and her eyes closed tightly. She slid to the ground, and started to cry, deep, heart-wrenching sobs that brought tears to Allie’s eyes. She slowly made her way to the other girl, even though every part of her was screaming for her to run in the other direction. She knew what this meant, and it wasn’t something she was ready to hear, not now.

When she reached Kelly, Allie sat down beside her and hesitantly put her arm around her shoulders. Kelly immediately curled into her, burying her head into Allie’s neck. Allie’s eyes closed, and she desperately tried to stop the tears from escaping. She was so tired of this; of crying, and hurting, and death.

“Kelly,” she mumbled.

Kelly pulled away from her, her eyes puffy and her nose red. “Allie,” she sobbed, her breath hitching.

“Kelly, is Harry- is he-“ Allie couldn’t get the words out. Fear was like a vice around her heart, and she wanted nothing more than to be anywhere but here.

Kelly hung her head, and though her sobs had dies down, her breaths still hitched every now and then. Allie lifted her head, and nodded at the girl. “It’s okay. It’s okay, just say it,” she whispered, taking Kelly’s hand in hers and trying her hardest to appear stronger than she felt.

Kelly sniffed, and seemed to be trying to pull herself together. She pulled away her hand, and brought her knees to her chest, curling in on herself. “He’s-“ She shuddered, unable to form the words Allie knew would come.

Kelly drew in a shaky breath, and then looked at Allie with such a sorrowful expression that it knocked the breath out of her.

“_Harry’s dead_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please, please comment and let me know what you guys think..  
Huge thank you to those who have commented on the prev. chapter, you guys are freaking awesome

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Update will be no later than next week, hopefully.  
I really wanted to write something involving Harry and Elle, because they were both manipulated by Campbell the most (Though Elle had it a lot worse, of course) and I'd love to explore more of those relationships in the next few chapters.
> 
> PS: it's a headcannon of mine that Harry plays the piano, cause i'm a sucker for boys who play lol


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